US Domestic News Roundup: U.S. House backs legislation to block rail strike; U.S. Treasury's Yellen 'practiced and practiced' her signature for U.S. bills and more

The vote by Jeffries' fellow Democrats also marked the rise of a younger generation of leaders in the 435-member House, and the end of the Nancy Pelosi era and control by other Democrats in their 80s. Trump Organization's criminal tax fraud trial heads to closing arguments Closing arguments to the jury by prosecution and defense lawyers are set to begin on Thursday in the criminal tax fraud trial of former President Donald Trump's real estate company, which is accused of running a 15-year scheme to defraud tax authorities.


Devdiscourse News Desk | Updated: 01-12-2022 18:34 IST | Created: 01-12-2022 18:29 IST
US Domestic News Roundup: U.S. House backs legislation to block rail strike; U.S. Treasury's Yellen 'practiced and practiced' her signature for U.S. bills and more
US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen Image Credit: ANI

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

U.S. House backs legislation to block rail strike

A majority of the U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday backed a bill to block a potentially crippling rail strike, but the fate of a separate proposal by lawmakers to mandate paid sick time remains uncertain. With voting ongoing, more than 250 members of the House that with 432 current members had voted in favor of imposing a tentative contract deal reached in September on a dozen unions representing 115,000 workers after President Joe Biden warned of the catastrophic impact of a rail stoppage that could begin as early as Dec. 9. A separate vote is planned later Wednesday on whether to require seven days of paid sick leave.

U.S. Treasury's Yellen 'practiced and practiced' her signature for U.S. bills

U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said she "practiced and practiced" writing the signature that will soon adorn U.S. dollars in order to avoid the illegible scrawls of her predecessors Tim Geithner and Jack Lew. "I knew this was something you could really screw up and I wanted to get it right, and I practiced and I practiced," Yellen told CBS's late-night comedian Stephen Colbert on Wednesday.

U.S. House panel gets access to Trump's tax returns after long legal battle

A U.S. House of Representatives committee has obtained access to Donald Trump's tax returns, following a years-long court fight with the Republican former president who has accused the Democratic-led panel of being politically motivated. "Treasury has complied with last week's court decision," a Treasury Department spokesperson said in an emailed statement late on Wednesday. The spokesperson declined to say whether the committee had yet accessed the documents. The development was reported earlier by CNN.

House Republicans brace for leadership struggle as Democrats tap Pelosi heir

As Democrats transitioned smoothly to a new leader in the U.S. House of Representatives, Republicans girded themselves for a showdown over Kevin McCarthy's bid for speaker that could leave the chamber adrift in the early days of 2023. McCarthy, the Republican leader who was nominated for the speakership last month by 188 of his fellow Republicans, could have trouble reaching the 218-vote benchmark when the next Congress convenes on Jan. 3, due to opposition from several hardline conservatives from the House Freedom Caucus.

At state visit, Biden and Macron face dispute over American subsidies

U.S. President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron will celebrate more than 200 years of U.S.-French relations on Thursday but simmering in the background is a dispute over new American subsidies that has riled Europe. Biden is hosting Macron at the first state visit since the U.S. leader took office in early 2021. Biden and his wife Jill are playing up the pageantry with a colorful arrival ceremony planned and 200 live lobsters flown in from Maine for a glittering state dinner.

U.S. appeals court rejects Biden's bid to revive student debt plan

A federal appeals court on Wednesday declined to put on hold a Texas judge's ruling that said President Joe Biden's plan to cancel hundreds of billions of dollars in student loan debt was unlawful. The New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the Biden administration's request to pause a judge's Nov. 10 order vacating the $400 billion student debt relief program in a lawsuit pursued by a conservative advocacy group.

U.S. House Democrats elect Hakeem Jeffries as first Black party leader

Hakeem Jeffries was unanimously elected on Wednesday to become the Democratic Party's top leader in the U.S. House of Representatives beginning in January, making him the first Black American to hold such a high-ranking position in Congress. The vote by Jeffries' fellow Democrats also marked the rise of a younger generation of leaders in the 435-member House, and the end of the Nancy Pelosi era and control by other Democrats in their 80s.

Trump Organization's criminal tax fraud trial heads to closing arguments

Closing arguments to the jury by prosecution and defense lawyers are set to begin on Thursday in the criminal tax fraud trial of former President Donald Trump's real estate company, which is accused of running a 15-year scheme to defraud tax authorities. The defense rested its case on Monday in a New York state court in Manhattan, having called just two witnesses, after prosecutors presented testimony from five people including star witness Allen Weisselberg, the Trump Organization's former chief financial officer.

Explainer-The Trump Organization trial is nearing its end. What's the case about?

Closing arguments are set to begin on Thursday in the criminal tax fraud trial of Donald Trump's real estate company on charges of scheming to defraud tax authorities for 15 years, as the former U.S. president's legal woes mount. Here are answers to questions about the accusations the Trump Organization faces.

Threat environment in U.S. to remain heightened in coming months, government says

The threat environment in the United States will remain heightened in coming months, with lone offenders and groups motivated by a range of ideologies posing a danger, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said on Wednesday. Threat actors could exploit several upcoming events to justify or commit acts of violence, including certifications related to the midterm elections, the holiday season and associated large gatherings and the marking of two years since the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, the DHS said in a bulletin.

(With inputs from agencies.)

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